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THE first and only time I saw Ricky Razon in the flesh was in 2005, during the Southeast Asian Games that the country had hosted. As International Container Terminal Services Inc. owner, he was already very rich then.
I saw him at The Country Club (TCC), the golf course where lies a lone Laguna helipad that is exclusively reserved for his use.
TCC, the country’s most exclusive golf course where membership is only a measly 400 or so, was the SEA Games host for golf competitions in 2005. Fittingly, we won the golf gold medals that year.
I was then working as a rules golf official for the SEA Games and, during one round, I was called to render a decision on a ball lying on the fringe that an opposing player felt was obstructing his line of play.
Chicken feed. I said the ball must be marked, lifted, but must not be cleaned. I made that very clear to the Malaysian player that owned the ball.
After I had finished rendering my decision, a friend sidled up and said to me: “Know what? Mr. Razon heard what you said and he said you impressed him.”
He pointed to where Razon was: One among the throng that ringed the 18th green. A crown of curls. Thick brows over charcoal-black, piercing eyes. Well-chiseled face.
“Do you know that Razon is a single-handicapper?” said my friend. “And he is so rich that it is no surprise if he practically owns this golf course.”
Today Razon, the Solaire owner, has even become much, much richer. In the latest Forbes magazine’s Top 50 richest Filipinos, he is in strong third behind No. 1 Henry Sy of SM Mall and No. 2 Lucio Tan of Philippine Airlines, Tanduay and Fortune Tobacco.
Razon’s net worth is now a whopping $5.2 billion (roughly P227.292 billion). Runner-up Tan has $6.1B (P266.632 billion) and runaway leader Sy $12.7B (P555.117 billion).
But I salute Razon more because of his love for sports, golf in particular.
Not many know this, but during the last decade or so, Razon has been virtually the sole financial backer of golf—both amateur and professional.
Many of our young hopefuls are being consistently sent abroad for tournaments, thanks to Razon’s generosity, as he practically shoulders everything for every trip made.
The many victories we have achieved overseas would not have been possible without Razon’s singular help.
Even our professionals are reaping the fruits of Razon’s sustained support for the local circuit that dangles practically millions for each leg annually the last 10 years or so.
Why I lavishly heap praise today on Razon is because I only want to show the other billionaires that if their kind does it without fanfare and media hype, why don’t they do the same in the name of sports progress?
Not bad to be rich. To be selfish is.